Discharge and outflow devices applied to improved sanitary toilet

ABSTRACT

Improvements introduced to discharge devices applied to sanitary toilets, discharge devices developed as obstruction element for the opening and closing of the outflow pit of the sanitary toilet, particularly those without siphon; such discharge devices include a sanitary toilet projected with a funnel type duct allowing adaptation of a funnel to outflow the dejections and where the elements of the discharge will be installed, such as a member of the articulated floodgate, counterbalance member and drive in the form of a door latch with magnetic or electrical/electronic lock which allow better adjustment to the operation of the sanitary toilet discharge, allowing them to be cleaned with only 3 liters of water per discharge.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention deals with discharge and outflow devices applied improved sanitary toilets, more particularly related to a discharge fixture developed as obstruction element for the opening and closing of the outflow pit of the sanitary toilet, particularly those which do not have a siphon; such discharge fixture comprises forms and constructions specially designed to allow the adaptation of discharge drives, in addition to an outflow funnel where the discharge equipment are installed, i.e., a member of articulated floodgate, counterbalance member and drive in the form of a door latch with magnetic or electronic lock, which allow a better adjustment to the operation of the sanitary toilet discharge, allowing them to be cleaned with only 3 liters of water per discharge.

GROUNDS FOR THE TECHNIQUE

As well known, one of the greatest current problems refers to the relationship between the savings of water and the increase of the population producing human dejections, being inversely proportional, since the higher the number of the people with access possibilities to the use of sanitary toilets with water discharge, the larger is its consumption.

As currently designed, the sanitary toilet is an anatomic format container equipped with a water pit destined to receiving residues of human physiology and of an internal device capable of removing them by means of a water flow, more usually known as siphon.

The old sanitary toilets required large volumes of discharge water, being responsible for the high water consumption in the homes.

In 1997, as it had been done in the first world countries with the purpose of reducing the water consumption of the sanitary installations, the Ministry of the Interior, by means of the Programa Brasileiro da Qualidade e Produtividade no Habitat—PBQP-H [Brazilian Program of Quality and Productivity at Home—PBQP—H] established in a rule, by joint cooperation with the manufacturers of the area, new maximum limits of water use for the cleaning of sanitary toilets, to be gradually adopted up to year 2002.

According to such governmental order, up to year 1999, the sanitary toilets used in Brazil may consume up to 12 liters discharge water per cycle. As of year 2002, the maximum limit of water use by sanitary toilets was changed to 9 liters per discharge and as of 2002, this limit has changed to 6.8 liters, similar level, even higher, to that already adopted by the European Community and North American countries.

In order to be able to establish and control the water consumption volume of the sanitary toilets it is necessary that the discharge be equipped with a discharge box which, due to its own nature, can only release water volumes according to the volume of the reservoir, since the volume of water released by the wall valves depend on the amount of time in which the button is pressed.

The hydrodynamic energy used in the sanitary toilet cleaning process is provided by a discharge device which feeds the sanitary toilet with water at suitable volume and speed not only to remove the residues deposited therein but also to conduct them through the sewage piping, in the horizontal direction, until they reach the drop pipe of the building installations.

The sanitary toilets may be currently setup to operate by siphoning or through the dragging system, largely known by the technique.

Only as illustration, both systems (siphoning and dragging) operate integrating three basic components, i.e., the sanitary toilet, the discharge box and the sewage, and is processed in three different steps (see FIG. 1 attached to the drawings): a) The first step, which must consume not more than 40% of the water volume of the reservoir, is destined to break the inertia of the load of liquids and solids deposited in the toilet pit and launch them into the sewage network; b) the second step, consuming another 40% of the discharge water volume, has the purpose of acting as hydrae piston constituted of clean water which maintains the initial flow of the effluents load moving inside the horizontal segment of the sewage piping, until it enters the building drop is tube, and c) the remaining 20% of the end of discharge are destined to refill the vase pit and reconstitute the hydrae lock of the system, preventing the entrance of gases and odors to the environment.

Following the drawing of FIG. 1, the state of art teaches that the sanitary toilet (1) is generally of the type constituted by a structure of lateral walls from the base (2) over which there lies a container (3) of anatomic form with superior borders (4) and equipped with a water pit (5) destined to receiving the residues of human physiology, which is generally equipped with a siphon or wall in the form of tube (T) and which requires a volume of at least 6.8 liters of water kept in a suitable reservoir (A) for the implementation of the discharge with 80% (a) of the dispensed volume, while 20% (b) of the volume is retained as hydraulic seal.

The satisfactory performance of a low consumption sanitary toilet depends, therefore, of its capacity of removing the totality of the solid residues with the initial 40% of water discharged by the discharge fixture so that there still remains at least 2.5 liters of clean water to carry the solid residues to the system drop pipe.

Discharge devices applied to sanitary toilets with outflows having a funnel form are described in patents, such as, for instance, PI 7907568 where a mechanism is associated to a complex driving arm and a blade of the shutter type capable of sealing the edge of the funnel through the pressure exercised by the referred driving arm.

The European patent EP 1045077 describes a vat used as vase, which funnel is supported over a complex discharge structure, coupled to a discharge box and an arm acting associated to a driving pedal which allows the de-offsetting of the water columns between the hydrae seal, the discharge box and the water outflow to promote the discharge.

The French patent FR 2618817 refers to a sanitary toilet with discharge by means of the gravitation of the washing water, equipped with an horizontal shutting plate of the inferior edge of the funnel;

As it can be seen from the documents described above, in spite of the fact that the French document shows more clearly the concern with water savings, it does not have the same concern with the hydrae seal, as occurs in the remaining documents, which element is so much required to avoid the backflow of the fetid gases coming from the sewage.

Another important point is that the documents quoted state that the shutter returns to the rest position by means of complex mechanisms, which, in addition to increasing the cost of the system, depend on maintenance made at given intervals.

The petitioner hereof already has a patent request filed with INPI under number PI 0006521-8 on Dec. 19, 2000 which called for a discharge device equipped with a laminar shutter, following the same concept of those described by the foreign patents, however very inventive, since the operation is different from those quoted above and shows innovative driving means by door latch locking and return to the initial position using a counterbalance. However, with the developments and field tests, the petitioner has improved such discharge, outflow and construction device, resulting in the present request for improvements introduced in discharge device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As a consequence of everything described above, the present discharge and outflow devices were developed to be applied in improved sanitary toilet which allow the perfect and complete operation with maximum 3 liters of water for each discharge and which also provides for the hydrae seal in its constitution.

One of the improvements introduced comprises the construction of the sanitary toilet, which will now be constituted of a vertical funnel type duct, especially sized and located in the lowest point of the pit formed by the internal walls of the vase container and which is directly connected to the sewage outflow. The size and format of the vase funnel, hereinafter called as such, constitutes one of the main objectives of the present invention, because the other devices are intimately connected to such construction.

Another innovation related to the building refers to the fact that toilet is equipped with a backside flat extension, equipped with one or two transversal holes, particularly developed for the coupling of a discharge box with two outflows foreseen in the Patent Request no. PI 0203700-0, filed by the same petitioner of the present request.

Another innovation refers to a funnel type duct especially developed to be easily adapted between the external area of the vase pit and the sewage outflow duct, which funnel is equipped with the vase discharge drives, already described and mentioned in the beginning of the description report as being part of request BR PI 0006521-8 and which comprise the three basic elements, being a shutter in the form of a container sized in accordance to the external area of the vase pit, a counterbalance and a door latch to release the discharge; such basic elements act inside the funnel type duct which, on its side, is responsible for making the connection between the vase pit and the sewage piping, assuring total sealing of the discharge system.

Another objective of the present invention lies in the fact that the discharge drives may be made of diversified elements, that is, it may be conformed by mechanical, magnetic or electrical means.

In face of the objectives proposed, being the main one the fact that the drive can come from a discharge box supplied only 3 liters of water, producing much higher savings when the innovated device is compared to any other type of model of conventional discharge device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To supplement the present description so as to obtain a better understanding of the characteristics of the present invention and according to a preferred practical performance thereof, we attach to the description a set of drawings where, as an example, without limitation, we have represented the following:

FIGS. 1 and 1A are illustrations of the operation of a sanitary toilet operating through dragging and driven by conventional device, where one can observe the water volume required to clean the pit of its container and the quantity of water destined to the preservation of the hydrae seal;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective of the sanitary toilet equipped with the improvements requested;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the toilet;

FIG. 4 illustrates the AA cut presented in the previous figure;

FIG. 5, illustrates a perspective view of the device with the driving mechanism in the armed position, that is, in position for shutting the outflow of the sanitary toilet;

FIG. 6, shows another perspective view of the device with the driving mechanism in the disarmed position, that is, in position of discharge of the sanitary toilet;

FIGS. 7 and 7A show lateral illustrative views of the discharge device with magnetic action drive placed in different situations;

FIGS. 8 and 8A show lateral schematic views of the discharge device with electrical/electronic action drive;

FIG. 9 shows the improved discharge device applied to a sanitary toilet with outflow into vertical soil piping;

FIG. 10 shows the device applied to a sanitary toilet with dragging discharge, illustrating the preferable setup of the funnel type duct; and

FIG. 11 shows a constructive variation of the innovated device, where the funnel type duct is built of rigid plastics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the illustrated drawings, the present invention refers to “DISCHARGE AND OUTFLOW DEVICES APPLIED TO AN IMPROVED SANITARY TOILET”, sanitary toilet (1) (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) is of the type constituted by a structure of lateral walls from the base (2) over which there lies a container (3) of anatomic form with superior borders (4) and equipped with a water pit (5) destined to receiving the residues of human physiology, which is generally equipped with a siphon or wall in the form of tube (T) (see FIGS. 1 and 1A) and which requires a volume of at least 6.8 liters of water kept in a suitable reservoir (A) for the implementation of the discharge with 80% (a) of the dispensed volume, while 20% (b) of the volume is retained as hydraulic seal.

According to the present invention, the construction of the vase (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) associated to the remaining devices and innovated discharge, allow the cleaning of the toilet (2) to be made with maximum 3 liters of water per discharge cycle, already including the 15% water to produce the hydrae seal, and, for such, the water pit (5) is comprised of a funnel type duct (6) of elliptical section, projected externally, decentralized and with vertical shape in relation to the apex of the bottom of the pit (5); the height (x) of the funnel (6) corresponding to practically ½ height (y) of the structural walls of the base (2) of the vase.

In the inferior face of the funnel (6) there are coupled the devices (D) responsible for the driving of the discharge, where there are made the release, closing and hydrae sealing (see other figures).

The top face of the toilet is equipped with a backside flat extension (7), equipped with one or two transversal and hollowed (8) holes, particularly developed for the coupling of a discharge box (C) capable of foreseeing the adaptation to a conventional outflow or two outflows with different volume and flow control.

Around the funnel type duct (6) of the sanitary toilet, there are installed the devices (D) comprised by a funnel (10) preferably made of ceramic (FIGS. 5 and other), which is equipped with the with the vase discharge drives, comprising three basic elements, among which a shutter in the form of a container (11), a counterbalance (12) and a door latch (13) with magnetic (14) or electrical/electronic lock drive (15).

Such funnel (10) is specially sized having the top border (10 a) adequately installed in the external face of the funnel type duct (6) of the vase, while the extreme inferior border (10 b) is coupled to the outflow tube (E) of the sewage system; the funnel type duct (10) is responsible for exercising the connection between the pit (5) of the vase and the sewage piping (E), assuring the total sealing of the discharge system.

The shutter (11) of the funnel (10) of the vase provides that, in one of its external faces, a rod extremity be affixed (16), for which the other edge is affixed to the counterbalance (12), which free face has means to lock a projecting member (17), which locking means comprise the feature of locking or releasing the door latch (13), which release is given by the external conventional control drive, associated to the water discharge of the coupled box (C) or other driving means, while the locking is made through the magnetic(14), or electric/electronic device (15).

The shutter (11) and corresponding counterbalance (12) may be pivoted in relation to the pit (6) through the articulation element (T) foreseen in an adequate place of the funnel type duct (10), being such shutter and counterbalance maintained in rest position with a given volume of water (AG), assuring the hydrae seal according to the physics principle of the communicating vases.

One of the solutions for the discharge driving occurs by magnetic means (14) FIGS. 5 and 5A), where the projecting element of the counterbalance (12) comprises a magnet (M1), while the door latch (13) is constituted by a supplementary magnet (M2), supported over a course limiting projection (13 b) able of maintaining the shutter (11) and corresponding water volume (AG) in rest position, until the water discharge is sufficient to overcome the magnet strength, articulating the shutter and releasing the water and dejections; the counterbalance is responsible for returning the shutter to its rest position, being maintained so through the force of the magnets.

According to FIG. 8, only as schematic example, the magnet elements (M1) and (M2) may be displaced to another position, such as, for instance, the magnet (M1) being affixed to the internal face of the funnel type duct (10) and the magnet (M2), being affixed to the superior border of the shutter (11), so as to maintain the balance of the magnetic field, for the rest position of the shutter (11), up to the release of the water volume, coming from the discharge box; the counterbalance (12) is maintained in the articulation position, aiming at exercising its driving feature of opening and closing the shutter.

A driving form (FIGS. 6 and 6A) is made by electrical or electronic means (15), being, in a preferred solution, such means (15) comprise a pin (18) and a solenoid (18) which act over the door latch (13), releasing or locking the counterbalance (11).

The funnel type duct, particularly its top opening may provide that its superior peripheral border (10 a) be equipped with a brim (19) projected to avoid that part of the water laying as hydrae seal be thrown outside upon the discharge of the vase; such brim (19) is developed to suffer continuous wash upon the discharge.

The improved device, as said before, may be preferably made of sanitary ceramic, however, alternatively, may be made of stainless steel or even of a given type of plastic with molecular characteristics resistant to the natural effects of water and other dejections, being able to show forms as illustrated on FIG. 10, maintaining the characteristics of being comprised by one funnel type duct (10) with the inter-related elements constituted by a shutter in container form (11), a counterbalance (12), a door latch (13), which elements act inside the funnel duct (10) which, on its side, has a top border (10 a) with a peripheral sealing brim (19) and inferior border (10 b) possible of being coupled to the outflow duct (E).

FIG. 8 shows the discharge device applied (10) to a sanitary toilet (1) with outflow into vertical and soil piping (3), while FIG. 8 shows the device (10) applied to a sanitary toilet with dragging discharge, illustrating the preferred setup of the funnel type duct, with its sewage outflow (E) directed to the back wall.

In spite of the fact that the invention has been detailed, it is important to understand that it does not limit its implementation to the details and steps described herein. The invention is able of other features and of being performed or implemented in a variety of modes. It should be understood that the terminology used herein has descriptive and not limitative purposes. 

1. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet said devices comprising: a sanitary toilet of the type without siphon and constituted by a structure of lateral walls from the base over which there lies a container of anatomic form with superior borders equipped with a pit to outflow the water and destined to receiving and out flowing the dejections; the sanitary toilet may be coupled to a discharge box and to conventional driving devices, in addition to being equipped with discharge means including a shutter, a counterbalance and a door latch; the devices applied to the discharge allow cleaning of the container to be made with maximum 3 liters of water per discharge cycle, already including approximately 15% water to make the hydrae seal, and where the sanitary toilet provides that the pit includes a funnel type duct of elliptical section, projected externally, decentralized and in a vertical form in relation to the apex of the pit bottom; the height (x) of the funnel type duct corresponds to practically ½ of the height (y) of structural walls of base of a vase; in an inferior face of the funnel type duct there are coupled the devices (D) responsible for the discharge drive, where the release, the closing and the hydrae seal are performed around the funnel type duct, a funnel is installed equipped with the discharge drive devices (D) it so being that the shutter and corresponding counterbalance may be pivoted in relation to the pit or to the funnel type duct through an articulating element (T); the shutter and the counterbalance are held in rest position around the pit with a given volume of water (AG) to activate the hydrae seal, being the rest and lock position, as well as the release of the articulation with feature activated through magnetic or electrical/electronic means.
 2. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein the discharge device (D), when driven with 3 liters of water per discharge, allows the shutter and counterbalance displacement, which, on their side, when returning to their rest position, have the projecting element locked in the door latch, automatically repositioning the shutter to its rest position for sufficient time to receive the remaining 15% of water (AG) to make the hydrae seal.
 3. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein in a first driving option the discharge device (D) to be driven through magnetic drive, where the projecting element of the counterbalance includes a magnet (M1) and the door latch (13 is constituted by a supplementary magnet (M2) supported in course limitation projector, able of maintaining the shutter and the corresponding water volume in rest position until the water discharge is made with 3 liters, sufficient to overcome the magnet strength, articulating the shutter; the counterbalance returns to the shutter its rest position, maintaining it like that through the strength of the magnets (M1/M2).
 4. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein the magnet elements (M1) and (M2) being installed in a position contrary to the counterbalance, where the magnet (M1) is affixed to the internal face of the funnel and the magnet (M2) is affixed to the front superior border of the shutter, so as to maintain a balanced magnetic field for the rest position of the shutter up to the release of the water volume, arising from the discharge box.
 5. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 providing second drive option; the discharge device (D) being driven through electrical or electronic means, being a preferred solution that such means include a pin and a solenoid which act on the door latch, releasing or locking the counterbalance.
 6. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein the funnel provides that its superior border be equipped with a peripheral and angular brim.
 7. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein the funnel being sized in such a way that the top border remains installed in the external face of the funnel type duct of the vase, while the extreme inferior border is coupled to the outflow tube of the sewage system.
 8. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein the funnel type duct exercising a connection between the pit of the vase and the sewage piping (E).
 9. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein the funnel is made of sanitary ceramic.
 10. Discharge and outflow devices applied to an improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein in another building alternative funnel being made in rigid and themomolded plastic having characteristics of molecular resistance to the natural wear of water and other dejections.
 11. Discharge and outflow devices applied to improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein the funnel is to be installed in sanitary toilet with vertical and soil piping outflow.
 12. Discharge and outflow devices applied to improved sanitary toilet according to claim 1 wherein the funnel being installed in sanitary toilet with dragging discharge. 